George M Dean
George M Dean

Systems Leader | Seeing the Forest Through Each and Every Tree | Driving Clarity in High-Ambiguity Environments

George “Mac” Dean

About Me

I am a systems leader driven by a fundamental curiosity in the gestalt, how complex systems work and each interconnected piece influences the greater whole. My path in tech started early, building and repairing computers, tinkering with hobby-rockets, and dissecting the design behind the games I played. Well before I ever knew what “systems thinking” was, the instinct to understand how things work and how people interact with them shaped my path forward. Today, I use that systemic depth to sculpt clarity out of high-ambiguity situations, and to be the glue between creative vision and technical execution.

As a Technical Cofounder and CTO, I brought that instinct to bear: architecting platforms designed to transform the landscape of industries it targeted with novel technologies like XR. My focus was on ensuring that every constituent element was aligned, that every piece had its purpose, and technical details never lost context with the overall mission. I had the opportunity to wear many hats, and through the course of multiple pivots see the art in every aspect of the product lifecycle.

I believe a systems leader is enriched by the understanding of the foundation upon which their work is built. Small realities of ground truth can multiply across scale and interdependencies, and so if one seeks to understand how a forest behaves it is vital to understand the trees that it is made of. Through that belief, I view team coordination as the ultimate systems challenge. Outside of work I serve as a Tank and Guild Officer for a World of Warcraft mythic raiding team, attending to the operational health of a 20+ person team, supporting coordination under high-pressure encounters, helping manage logistics, and filling in for leadership when the situation demands. Understanding the people and roles within that team helps me better perform my role, and in-turn facilitate my team-mates. Whether I’m tweaking a boss-plan in WoW, an intricate economic simulation in EVE Online, or a small piece of my own mechanics-driven games, I thrive at drawing simple synergy from complex systems.

Profile Picture of George M Dean

GEOPOGO

Technical Cofounder & CTO (previously AR/VR Developer & Lead Engineer)

Geopogo is an Architectural Visualization company transforming the construction industry by leveraging AR/VR, desktop visualization, and digital twins to enhance design communication, reduce rework, and streamline project timelines. As the Technical Cofounder, I led the development of a multi-platform visualization suite that bridges traditional architectural design software with cutting-edge tools for Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) like Magic Leap, mobile applications, and desktop. I spearheaded a cross-functional startup team to build a versatile, interactive platform enabling seamless model visualization across HMDs, mobile, and desktop multiplayer, bringing new possibilities to architectural and construction collaboration.

 

Geopogo Creator

As Technical Cofounder, I led, and implemented development on the Geopogo desktop app, built on Unity with connections to AWS. This application enables users to import 3D design files from a wide range of modeling software or create quick mock-ups, making it a versatile choice for architects and designers. Users can then export their designs to be viewed in AR or share them in a dynamic multiplayer environment, expanding collaborative possibilities in architectural visualization.

GEOPOGO AR for the Magic Leap

As the first project I fully owned from start to finish at Geopogo, I led the development of an augmented reality app for the Magic Leap One (ML1), built on Unity. This AR tool connects seamlessly with the Geopogo desktop app, allowing architects and clients to visualize designs at real-life scale, table-top models, or even tour interiors before construction begins. It has been successfully used to showcase planned developments to the public and improve construction site walkthroughs, once identifying $250,000 in potential rework costs through enhanced visualization. This project required both innovative AR development and close collaboration with headset manufacturers to optimize performance and deliver an industry-tailored solution.

GEOPOGO CreatorPro for the ML2

Building on the original ML1 app, I led the upgrade and enhancement of our AR application for the Magic Leap 2 (ML2), ensuring a seamless adaptation for the device's launch. This upgrade leveraged the ML2’s advanced capabilities, including segmented dimming for improved model visibility and support for multiple models, allowing users to switch between design options effortlessly. Working closely with Magic Leap, I guided the engineering team to enhance visual fidelity and optimize performance to meet new standards.

Geopogo for Magic Leap 2 has been featured in high-profile showcases, including CES and the World Economic Forum in Davos, where it demonstrated the potential of AR for architectural visualization to a global audience of industry leaders and potential clients.

 

A More Personal Note

Interests

  • Game Development (PC + AR/VR)

  • Creative Writing & Worldbuilding

  • WoW Mythic Raiding (5x Cutting Edge)

  • Eve Online Nullsec Industry

  • Visual Art & Graphic Design

  • Space Exploration & Astrophysics

Outside of work, I’m a systems geek and lifelong gamer. I tank Mythic raids in World of Warcraft where I help lead complex team efforts under pressure as a guild officer, I dive headfirst into the spreadsheets and intricate economic simulations of Eve Online, and I love designing my own weird little games around simple mechanics. I’m deeply curious about the future of technology, especially at the intersection of systems and people, and am always looking for new ways to stretch my skills into new domains.

Indie Game Development

While much of my work at Geopogo involves using game engines for architectural visualization, I also apply my skills to solo game development, using Unity and Unreal to create small indie experiences. My design philosophy focuses on refining and highlighting core mechanics, resulting in minimalist games centered on polished, singular gameplay loops that offer both depth and replayability.

Delta Vee

Unity Engine

Built for the Ludum Dare 40 game jam under the theme "the more you have the worse it is", Delta Vee tasks the player with maneuvering in a zero-friction environment, using the mouse to direct thrust and quick boosts of force, collecting stars and avoiding the missiles that emerge for each point claimed. I wanted to create an extremely simple game that helps teach a sense of inertia and motion in a frictionless environment. This understanding could form the basis of further understandings of maneuvering in microgravity, or orbital mechanics.

 

Download on Itch.io

DeltaVeeSmall.gif
DeltaVee.jpg
 

A Nightmare For Gluttons

GameMaker Studio

A simple, yet addicting browser game, A Nightmare For Gluttons can be compared to PacMan on a map entirely filled with pellets, no walls, and ghosts that don't chase you but just move around. However the difficulty quickly ramps up, as the ghosts will begin to multiply exponentially, clogging the entire screen. Half luck and half skill, this battle to collect as many pellets as possible and survive longest was one of my first games I ever made, and emphasized quick restarts and a short reward cycle.

Download on Itch.io

ANFGSmall.gif
 

POND

Physical Board Game

Pond is a three-player asymmetric educational board game designed to teach players about ecosystem balancing and trophic levels. Each player has their own abilities and style of playing, who while competing to consume each other and overpopulate will over time balance and create a sustainable ecosystem between the three of them. This balance mimics how populations of creatures in the wild balance each out, and with purposeful adjustments to the rules can be used to show how environmental changes can unbalance and collapse an ecosystem such as in eutrophication, the unstable populations of moose and wolves on Isle Royale, or what happened to Yellowstone National Park without wolves. Pond was developed in a small team of myself, Taylor Groeschen and Nick Hinton.

View PDF

 

 

Contact ME